Elements in a network often have to send requests, or queries, to another network element or elements to discover needed information. The other network element sends an answer in response to the query. Sometimes, in order to construct this answer the other network element must itself send queries to additional network elements. This process may repeat until the original network element receives such a query, and this can result in an endless loop of queries. For example, network element A may send a query to network element B asking which network users are allowed access to particular data. Network element B may know that users 1–3 are allowed to have access and that any users that network element C authorizes are also allowed to have access. Network element B may then query network element C, so that it can respond to network element A with the full list of users who are allowed access. Network element C may know that users authorized by network element A should be allowed access, so network element C may query network element A so that it can respond to network element B with the full list of users who are allowed access. At this point, network element A is tasked with answering the very same query that provoked the sequence of queries just described. If network element A continues as before and queries network element B, an endless loop of queries may be generated.